Weighing machine illuminator



M. A. WECKERLY WEIGHING MACHINE ILLUMINATOR Nov. 21, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1- Filed May 50, 1945 INVENTOR! Mark 4. l Vec/rer ATTORNEYS M. A. WECKERLY WEIGHING MACHINE ILLUMINATOR Npv. 21, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 30, 1945 INVEN TOR. Mark ,4. Weaker/y BY ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 21, 1950 WEIGHING MACHINE. ILLUMINATOR Mark A. Weckerly, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to Toledo Scale Company, Toledo, Ohio, a corporation of New Jersey Application May 30, 1945, Serial No. 596,629

1 Claim.

This invention relates to weighing scales and in particular to improved means for illuminating the charts of cylinder type scales. 7

Retail scales commonly used in meat markets and groceries have computed price indicia arranged in columns on a cylindrical chart. A hair line indicator mounted in the housing and extending along the cylinder provides an index against which the money value of a load being weighed on the scale may be read. In order to provide a sufficient number of indicia to cover the commonly used prices throughout the weighing capacity of the scale the individual indicia must be quite small and it is common practice scale in the space generally above the reading line-and out of the field of view of the magnifybulbs must be replaced. 7

The object of this invention is to provide an improved illuminating system for a cylinder scale in which the bulb may be replaced without disassembly of the housing of the scale.

Another object of the invention is to provide a more even illumination of the chart of a cylinder scale.

These and other objects and advantages are apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrating preferred embodiments of the invention.

In the drawings:

Figure I is a front elevation, with parts broken away, of a chart housing of a retail cylinder scale.

Figure II is a fragmentary end elevation of thecylinder scale chart housing.

Figure III is a fragmentary vertical section taken transversely to the axis of the cylinder chart and showing the relative locations of mag- .nifying lenses, reading line and chart of the .scale It is quite diflicult to replace these 7 2 Figure IV is a fragmentary sectional View 0 one of the sockets for mounting the light source as seen from the line IV-IV of Figure 11.

Figure V is a fragmentary end elevation showing a modified form of light source mounting.

Figure VI is a fragmentary section of the modified light source mounting as seen from the line VI-VI of Figure V. V I

Figure VII shows still another modification of the light source mounting. v

Figure VIII is a fragmentary sectionalviewof a closure adapted to be used with the light source mounting illustrated in Figure VII. These specific figures and the accompanying description are intended merely to illustrate the invention and not to impose limitations on the claims.v

According to the the light source and mounting the light'sourcee so that the replaceable portions thereof may be: inserted and removed through the openings. Suitable easily removed closures are provided for the openings. The replacement of bulbs may be made still more convenient by mounting the bulbs from the closures. In one form the invention consists of mechanically supporting the bulb! within the housing and incorporating the electrical connections for the bulb in the closure or in a separate part enclosable and removable with the closure. Regardless of the construction actually employed the openings in line with the light source permit replacement of the light source without disassembly of the scale housing.

In the first example the invention is shown as it is embodied in a common type of cylinder scale. The chart housing of such a scale comprises a substantially cylindrical molded shell I and a pair of generally circular end housings 2 and 3. The housing comprising the cylindrical shell I and the circular end portions 2 and 3 surmounts a generally rectangular column 4 erected from the base of the scale. The end portions 2 and 3 are molded so as to form part of the rectangular column 4 as well as covering the ends of the cylinder housing I. On the front side of the scale the housing I is provided with a window 5 and the adjacent parts of the cylinder housing I are molded outwardly to form end walls 6 and top and bottom Walls 1 defining the periphery of the window 5. A semi-cylindrical cover 8 is supported from the frame of "a scalabymeans ,nq shcwn. igsu h a P t on tha it termite invention the difliculties of replacing light bulbs in retail computing scales: are reduced by providing openings in the end. housings of the scale substantially in line with.

window 5 with its edges in overlapping relation with the walls 6 and I of the cylindrical shell I.

A lens frame 9 slidably mounted in the cover 8 carries a plurality of magnifying lenses In each of which is positioned at the larger end of a frusto-pyramidally shaped lens cell ll. Thelens cells ll define the field of view of the magnifying lenses IO- and have :a convergence approximately equal to the field of the lenses so that when viewed through the lenses the cells appear to have parallel sides. A cylindrical chart 12 carried on spiders I3 is positioned-in:thers'cale-housing so that a portion of its periphery is within the field of view of the'magnifying lenses It. "A reading line I 4 serves as an index'cooperatin'g with the indicia on the chart l2. The indicia, representing computed money values, are-iarranged in columns about the periphery of the chart l2 and the individual columns areidentifiable by price markings carried on a price bar 'I-5 interposed between thelens cells" I I and' the -chart i2.

The complete enclosure of the chart 'bythe housing ljthe cover B-and 'thelensframe 9 added 'tothe decrease in brightness resulting from the magnification of-the lenses t0 requires-that artificial illumination-be*provided within the housing. ,In this example artificial illumination is *provided by -a fluorescent tube 15 inserted through openings I1 in thewalls fi defining the "windowfi. The fluorescent light bulb Miscar- *ried-" in"sockets 1-3 mounted on brackets I attached to adjacent*-parts"-20 of' the frameof 'the :scale; "Phe'sockets '18 are clamped 'to the "bracketsl9 so as 'tdbeeas'ilyremovable. cover -or closure 21 --fitting over the socket-1 8 and the end of the light bulb l 6 adjacent thereto prevents "any aeppreciable "leakage 'of liglit from the' housing. The closure 2 l and the lamp socketl s may be removed by merelyloosening a.'screw "2 2-=which *clamps-fthe socket -I 8=to the bracket I9.

In'this -improved 'formo'f light source the -light is distributed very evenly along --'the* full -'=length *0? the chart and the=comparativly large area of the tube diffuses thedight so that-there is -very little-glarefromthechart. By allowingthelight --b1ilb topro'trude slightly from theends of the housing the *uniform light' intensity is carried-to the extreme limits of" the chart' a-nd the'relativel-y 'dark --end portions of '-th'e"-liglit bulb cannot-"be observednor their effect notic'ecl onthe chart. Likewise the protrusion 0f the lightblllb slightly beyond the end of -the housing and supporting it there-by means ofan easily removablesocketan'd closure permits thelight bulb" to-b'e replaced when necessary by 'sim. ply "removing cne socket and witlidrawing the bulb. --A new'bulb -m-ay beeasily substituted and placed in operation-with no further disassembly =01 the scalehousing.

ofthescafle housing. 'In'a'second exampleshown dormedwith amend-"never flgacylindric il she'l175 Same manner as described in connection 1 4 having a forwardly directed portion 25 providing a viewing window and a semi-cylindrical cover 26 covering the window. Lenses mounted in a lens frame 21 provide enlarged images of indicia on a chart rotatably mounted within the housing.

Illumination for the indicia isprovided by a light bulb 28 which is inserted through an opening 29 cut-lthrough the periphjery :of-ftheuentl mover 24' andpart of "the end wall of "the forwardly extending portion 25 of the cylindrical housing.

"The light bulb 28 is supported in sockets 30 bolted to-ai portion 131 "of the frame of the scale. The

socket 30 is an integral member and includes contact .means for connecting the terminals of the j jlight bulbl'28 to'jlead wires 32.

Its outer surface iifis'made of the same material as the housing :andzisfinished sokthat it provides'a smooth exteriorand eliminates the need for any extra enclosure. The socket 30.difiers from the socket 18 illustrated in the first-example in that the connection'is' made' to the-tube by pressing thes'ocket the tube is secured bygiving -it"anuarter'tum' after" it is* in pl'ace and' the socket lil "is clamped "to the brack'et i [9. In th fi'rst' example enough of the lig'ht bulb protrudes so tha't it may-be grasped and rotated. -'In the second example' the light bulb "is-'entirel'y within the housing and' is therefore inaccessilile and the sockets must fif v 'necess'itybe appplied by a'n-axial motion orily.- p I In these two examples I a similar "bracket ma socket is provided at eachend of the hous'ihgto accommodate the ends 'of the light bulb;

lig'ht' bulb is usually replacedflb' only' removing one -of-"'the sockets itfl i possible to permanently install the other socket "either in the end 'of 'the housingpr on some "part of the'-scale-frame" ad-. acent the end. In the latterease it Huey-"heclilfitb guide the light bulb-into= engagement with 'the' fixedsocket, particularly 'ifthe light bulb is equal to -'or slightly shorter than i the length "-df the housing This difliculty 'may beniinimized by=*mouriting-the light bulb and-"its sockets ona frame-which maybe inserted as a unit. Figure 'VH'- -shows such an assembly which comprises-*9.

strip of strapmetal 3'4--provided at its ends' w'ith -ears to===whih-sockets 3'6 are attached. Near itsjen s the strip?! is providedwith lu'gs' width are b'er'it 'to form substantially (B-shaped "hooks "adapted to engage andslide along atrack SB-se- Z invention have been shown with a fluorescerit light bulb as the light source. *Whilef-thi stype of light-source provides the"best"illumination"for a scale it doesnot necessarilymean"'thatit isjthe only type ,ofbulb that may be used. Ordinary incandescent" tubular .bulbs of *tlie fish-called showcase variety may alsofbe' 'usedI I Wheni'in- 'candescent "bulbs :are used'one or more .may'be required in'a single scale but they maybemounted so as to "be replaceable through an op'ehin'gfin the end of the scale "housing in -substantiallly the 5 fluorescent bulbs. This is particularly true in connection with the structure shown in Figures VII and V111 because the light bulb sockets may be located at spaced intervals along the frame 34 as may be r quired.

These improvements very materially expedite the maintenance of a scale by permitting the user of a scale to replace a defectivelight bulb without the services of a skilled scale mechanic.

Having described the invention, I claim:

In a light source mounting for a Weighing scale, in combination, a chart housing having a pair of end frames, said housing having an opening at each end that exposes a portion of the frame and space above the reading line of the chart of the scale, an elongated bulb that extends between the end frames and that is insertable through the openings, and a socket for each end of the bulb, said sockets being mounted externally of the frame and housing and electrically connected to wiring within the housing, said sockets being removably secured to said end frames and constituting issint 6 covers for the openings whereb the light bulb may be replaced without disassembly other than the removal of a socket from the frame.

MARK A. WECKERLY.

. REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:- I

10 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 166,128 Hapgeod hashesnee.- 28,- 1915* 1,460,924 $earle July 3, 1923 1,813,578 Lachance July '7, 293-1 15 2,318,536 Stern May 4, 1943 2,336,750 Roney l -t.- Dec. 14, 1943 2,392,202 Tornblom -s- Jan, 1, 1-946 FOREIGN PATENTS 20 Number Country Date 692,632 France Aug. 5, 1930 

